Originally posted on Facebook HERE
Regular readers of my “Looking Out My Back Window” posts know that I spend a lot of time thinking about life and death, why we’re here at all, is there any meaning, and what can we do to create the best lives possible? Because in the end, we all die. Everything we do will be forgotten. Nobody will remember us at all in 100 years. Our lives are a blip on eternity. There are billions of people alive today, billions have come and gone. Why?… what’s the point? What about all the other creatures? Tell me your dog doesn’t have a personality. Animals have souls (IMO). And we, as humans have countless options available on how to live our lives. With so little time, and so many options – do we really grasp everything we have accessible to us? It seems like we find our path, then if we’re lucky we find someone to share our lives with, and once we hit a groove we just stay there. Whatever we’re doing becomes “comfortable”. Before I go on, I want to say there’s nothing wrong with that. If by trial and error you find a routine you love with people you love to be with, sticking with it could be very joyous and fulfilling. But we have many options available to us. Taking action on them is usually going to be a scary thing to do, though – and almost always offers no guarantees. Start your own business, or stick with a job you love? Easier to stick with the job, right? You love it. The “business” idea might be more rewarding in the long run – but it might not. You could go bankrupt and lose everything, including the job you loved. So… most people, given those options will not take that chance. We’ve all heard, and maybe at some points in our lives thought about “selling it all, buying an RV/Van, etc – and just touring the country”. Scary as hell. I’ve had a couple friends actually do it. Personally, I don’t think I’m much of an RV guy at all – but this is an option, right? One that most of us won’t seriously consider. There are many options available to us that we never give serious consideration to. Or that we think about, maybe dream about – maybe even long for… but… fear. Fear kills most great ideas before they ever come to fruition. I’m always looking for new things, new ways of doing things, and I try to stay open to ideas no matter how crazy they might seem at first glance. Because, to me anyway – life is meant to be lived. Growth happens outside your comfort zone. The first time I went outside the United States was kinda weird and scary for me. Now I’ve been all over the world, and the places I’ve been to and seen have opened my eyes to what life in other countries is like. I’ve changed jobs several times in my life, often leaving a job I loved for what I thought was a better opportunity. I started my own business a few years ago, leaving a company I still love to this day. In all instances, the moves turned out to be wildly successful – but they came with no guarantees. Looking back on my life? What an incredible list of experiences. I started drinking and doing drugs when I was 14 years old. I’ve smoked pot, snorted cocaine, taken acid, and if it was available I tried it back when I was using (thank God heroin wasn’t readily available back then). I know what that feels like. When I got sober in 1988 I had a ton of debt and very little income. I know what that feels like. Since then we’ve gotten out of debt, I built a business, and our net worth is more than I set my goal on 30 years ago when I decided to get serious about being able to retire comfortably. I know what that feels like. I am also a creature of routine. I love doing the same things every day. It feels comfortable to me. But as tough as it is to change my routine, I stay open to all options. Because you never know what might be behind the fear of change, unless you give it a try. What’s the worst that could happen, right? You wind up living in a van by the river. And.. then you’d know what that feels like. I wish you all the best today. Maybe try something new. Time isn’t on your side, you know. No time like the present.
